Syrma recently merged with SGS Tekniks. Can you tell us about what this brings to the table for you, organization growth-wise? 

The merger, when completed, will bring together two equalized companies in the electronics hardware manufacturing domain. It will increase our capabilities, exposure to various domains, and our geographical footprint spanning south to north. As Syrma has been mainly export-focused and SGS domestic market-focused, the merger will also result in a balanced portfolio of exports and domestic customers. Our merger now has 8 facilities across India: Gurugram, Manesar, Bawal, Baddi, Bengaluru, Chennai (two), and Bargur and three design centers in Chennai, Gurugram, and Stuttgart (Germany).

What are some technology disruptions in electronics manufacturing across verticals, such as aerospace, defense, health, etc.? 

The big technology disruptions across domains will happen from IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum devices, to name three.

Statistics suggest only around 13-17% of women work in the electronic manufacturing sector. Is your organization taking any special measures to boost participation? 

Attracting and retaining women’s workforce needs to focus on safety, flexibility, clear career pathways, care, and concern. We’re addressing all of the above through specific initiatives for the last five years. Creating an evident safety culture, occupational health center with a lady doctor-on-call and all-around-nurses/assistants, creating clean and hygienic modern toilets, and ensuring transportation and drop-offs at home are some measures. On flexibility, we’ve gone into villages and set up our factories to reduce their commutes and offer flexibility. Defining clear career pathways through our growth from within initiatives and identifying people into emerging leaders and focus groups for fast-tracking women leaders are some initiatives. We drive an overall culture of care and concern, right from canteen food and regular feedback to opinion surveys; our HR team has also appointed people for quickly handling issues.

What are your expectations post-pandemic scenario for electronic manufacturing? Is a boost in adoption expected? 

We expect the pandemic, global geopolitics, PLI schemes, and the renewed vigor towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat to galvanize the electronics component ecosystem development. This is a known weakness for electronics manufacturers in India, and given the actions being taken, we’ll start to see a difference in four to five years. We also see a shift, post-pandemic, towards more digitalization, Industry 4.0, etc. This can open up massive opportunities and challenges as well.

In the recent budget, do you think a sufficient boost was offered for your sector? How is your organization contributing to the Make in India agenda of the government? 

We’ve seen a significant and sufficient boost from the government for electronics manufacturing even before the budget through PLI schemes. We intend to leverage these schemes and take advantage of the large opportunities coming to India due to the global China+1 policies of several important customers. We also intend to strengthen our design service offerings to leverage India’s strength and brand image, thereby be a strong partner for global companies for the long term.